Process for coloring plastic material



`lune 2, 1931. w. H. MORRIS PRocrrss FoR-coLoRING PLASTIC MATERIAL FiledApril 4, 1927 31A/vento@ Maw/1 f. Mom/5 .Patented June 2, 1931 ,UNITEDSTA-'rss PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H. MoRBIs, or PHILADLILIIA, PENNSYLVANIAAssIeNoR 'ro AMBLEB.

AsBEs'ros COMPANY, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA PROCESS FOR COLORINGPLASTIC MATERIAL Application led April 4, 1927. SerialNo.-180,678.

This invention relates to a method for coloring articles ofplasticmaterial and more particularly to the coloring of'shingles ofasbestos-ibre composition.

Roofing shingles have been commonly colored or coated by applying acoating such as paint to the upper exposed surface. The

coating on the shingle surface thus applied. after being exposed to theweather for a short time, peels off, exposing the shingle and giving theroof an unsightly appearance.

The object of this invention is to overcome these objectionable featuresin the coloring or coating of shingles or plates of flat` or taperedformation and to provide a method and apparatus for embedding thecoloring material in the body of the shingle or plate within the upperexposed surfac Further objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent by reference to the following specification Iand drawings, inwhich i Fig. 1 is' an end view of aV composition shingle machineembodying the apparatus for the coloring of the shingle.

.A Y Fig..2 is a side elevation of the apparatus -shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the invention as applied-to adouble shingle machine, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing a modi ication of thesprayingapparatus.

The composition for forming articles such as shingles to which thisinvention is particul larly adapted consists generally of asbestosibres, hydraulic cement, sand, preferably sharp white sand,and water,preferably warm. When suitably mixed' this composi- )tion forms ajelly-like slurry consisting of small globules of colloidal cement andlibre. In order to obtain the bestresult the fibres must be forced intothese small globules and this is accomplished to a certain extent notonly by pressure applied to the formed article, but is initiallyobtained by the suction action in forming the article and an ini-l tialpressure applied during the suction action. I have found that thiscomposition not only produces a strong, durable shingle at low cost butis also particularly adapted to be formed into the desired shingleautomatically by depositing a wet mixture of slurry on a rotating drum.

Inthe embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the framestructure 10 supports a slurry tank 11 in which is 4immersed thelowerportion of theshingle-forming drum 12 which rotates on shaft 13:The periphery of the drumis provided'l'with a series of parallelsubstantially rectangular chambers partitioned to form adjacentshingles. Communicating with each chamber is a vacuum means within thedrum for exhausting the air in the chambers. As the drum rotates eachchamber is subjected to the vacuum Within the drum. The object of thevacuum is to permit the drum to pick up or have accumulated on itsperiphery over the chambers a substantially predetermined amount ofslurry from the tank'll, as the drum rotates therein toI form shingles.The depth and formation of the chambers controls the type of shingle tobe formed as shown and described in the patent to Richard V. Mat

tison No. 1,623,631, dated April 5th, 1927.

In order to initially press Ithe plastic shingles there is provided abelt 14 which engages an arcuate portionof the drum periphery.

Attached to the frame 10, adjacent to the platform 15 is a bracket 16 onwhichis ad- 1 the shingles from `under the spray from they air brush and.subjects them to an increased vacuum within the drum `withdrawing thewater from the shingles and at the same time drawing the coloring.material below the surface and into the body of the shingles, creatrial.When the shingle is thereafter dried ling a substantial thicknessv ofcoloring mate' the coloring material is embedded in thebody of theshingle and cannot peel oif upon exposure tothe weather.

The air brush17 is supplied with compressed air through pipe connections19 and 20, from a compressor not shown. A controlling valve 21 controlsthe air supply from the compressor. The coloring or coating material iscontained in a tank 22 having a pipe connection 23 at the top providingcompressed air to continually/agitate the coloring material containedtherein. At the bottom of the tank is a pipe connection 24 leading tothe air brush 17 for supplying the coloring or coating material 'to theair brush. The supply of coloring or coating material is controlled bythe valve 25. The tank 22 is mounted above the air brush so that thecoloring or coating material flows to the air brush by gravity.

In the embodiment of the invention illusf trated in Fig. 4 the air brushor brushes have nozzles 18 located one above the other and directed inopposite diagonal directions to the exposed shingle surface, In thisarrangement of nozzles the greatest amount of 'coloring or coatingmaterial is su'plied to the lower end or butt of the shing e where it ismost desired and which is exposed to the weafther when the shingles arelaid upon a roo l v.

In the embodiment of the invention illus- *.trated in Fig. 5 anauxiliary nozzle 26 is shown directed oppositely to the nozzle 18 andwhich sprays a contrasting coloring material directly into the sprayfrom the nozzle 18, the eiiect being an intermixture of contrastingcoloring materials giving the completed shingle a mottled or Variegat'edappearance. p

A shingle coated by the above' described apparatus and. process has thecoloring material embedded therein within the upper surface and cannotpeel oif upon exposure to the weather as the coloringr material isincorporated in the body of the shingle for a considerable depth, beingdrawn therein while the shingle is being manufactured.

While the invention has been illustrated and described more particularlywith reference to the coloring of composition'shingles made from plasticmaterial, the invention is not confined thereto but is intended to coverthe coloring of other plastic articles and for any other uses andmodifications within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: y

1. The process of coloring articles of plastic .material which consistsof applying aA tapering film of coloring material to one surface thereofwhile the article is in a plastic condition, thereafter drawing' said lmof coloring material into the body of said article by means of suctionapplied to the opposite surface of said article. l

coloring material into and below the surface of the article by means ofsuction applied to the opposite ,surface of the article.

3. 'I he process of coloring shingles of plastic material which consistsof spraying coloring material from a nozzle directed at an angle /to theupper surface of the shingle so that the greatest quantity ofcoloringvmaterial is applied at the butt end of the shingle, andthereafter drawin the coloring material below the surface o the shingleby means of suction.

4. The process of coloring shingles of plastic material which consistsof depositing a spray of contrasting coloring materials formed from acombination of differently colored sprays directed in oppositedirections to the u per surface of the shingle while the shing e is in aplastic condition and thereafter drawing the'coloring materials into thebody of the shingle-by means of suction applied to the under surface ofthe shingle to give said shingle a variegated appearance.

5. The process of coloring shingles of plastic material which consistsof simultaneously spraying contrasting coloring materials in o positedirections to the upper surface oft e shingle while the shingle is in aplastic condition and thereafter drawing the coloring materials into thebody of the shingle by means ofsuction applied to the under surface ofthe shingle to give said shingle a variegat- 7. The rocess of coloringshingles which,

consists o spraying a coloring material from a source of supply sodirected as to apply the entire .spray content to the receiving face ofthe shingle, but with the greater amountofthe sprayco-acting directlywith the butt end portion of the shingle, the amount of spray graduallylessening as the opposite end portion of the shingle is neared and thethin-end proper being left free from the spraying material.

WILLIAM H. Mouais.A

